David Bowie’s First U.S. Billboard No.1 Marked One of His Biggest Transformations

Few artists have been through as many phases as David Bowie has. We're not talking simply about aesthetic changes or marketing strategies. No, David Bowie was someone who thrived on being constantly evolving. Whenever he would find a formula that worked and got him lots of hits, he moved on to something new and unknown, got out of his comfort zone, and completely reinvented himself. As a result, his catalog is one of the richest and most vast around. But one of his most drastic transformations came after his first U.S. no. 1, which was one of the most legendary collaborations in history.

David Bowie's First U.S. No. 1 Was an Iconic Collab

In 1974, David Bowie got the opportunity to meet his hero at a party hosted by Elizabeth Taylor. With the help of his producer, he worked up the courage to introduce himself to John Lennon, and despite being admittedly awkward during their first meeting, Lennon took a liking to Bowie. The following year, the Beatle went to visit Bowie in the studio while he was recording his album, Young Americans. When he arrived, Bowie and James Brown's former guitar player, Carlos Alomar, were playing around with a riff they were hoping to use in a song for the upcoming album. Reportedly, Lennon was immediately thrilled with the riff and started singing along to it. Well, mostly just mumbling over the riff, over and over, but the melody line and the sounds he made inspired Bowie to write a song. Part of Lennon's muttering resembled the word "fame," and Bowie got the idea of writing a song around that concept.

He went on to write the song he titled "Fame," and despite Lennon not contributing to the lyrics beyond that word, Bowie gave him songwriting credits, since he felt Lennon was the originator, intentionally or not. The song went on to reach No. 1 on the American and Canadian charts, making it Bowie's first No. 1 across the pond. He'd already had a lot of success with Space Oddity and Ziggy Stardust, two legendary avant-garde pieces, icons of the '70s, but "Fame" marked not just the beginning of Bowie's era as an international star, but also planted the seed for a huge evolution in his career.

Lennon's Opinion on Glam Rock Changed the Trajectory of Bowie's Career

David Bowie was a huge fan of The Beatles and of John Lennon's solo work, so when he got the opportunity to work with him, of course, he had to ask for his advice and opinion. Lennon's words, while not directly pushing him into his next era, heavily influenced his decision to go from avant-garde, "glam" rock to dance pop.

There are eight years between Young Americans and Let's Dance. Eight years since his collaboration with John Lennon. When Let's Dance came out in 1983, Lennon was sadly already dead. But Bowie remembered their work together perfectly and chose to take his advice when he was making Let's Dance. When they were working together in 1975, Bowie couldn't resist the temptation to ask him what he thought of his music. Lennon was warm but blunt in his response, as was his nature.

“It was just a joy to work with him in the studio that one time. When I asked him what he thought of what I was doing, glam rock, he said, ‘Yeah, it’s great, but it’s just rock and roll with lipstick on!’" Bowie recalled. Despite the pointed comment, the singer wasn't offended. "I was impressed, as I was at virtually everything he said." Bowie was a great admirer of Lennon's songwriting, so he also took the chance to ask for insight into his process, and that, coupled with his brutally honest opinion of Bowie's work, inspired him to change his approach when it came to writing pop songs such as "Let's Dance" and "Modern Love."

"I’ll never forget something John Lennon told me; we were talking about writing, and I had always admired the way he used to cut through so much of the bulls***, just come straight to the point with what he wanted to say." "He said, ‘It’s very easy — all you have to do is say what you mean, make it rhyme and put a backbeat to it’, and I keep coming back to that principle as a writer."